Franklin s



(No Model) Patented Nov; 30,1897.

WITNESSES E NORRIS PEIERS ca. VHOYO-UTND,WASHINGTON u I:

UNITED STATES PATENT rrrcn.

FRANKLIN S. MOKENNEY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE MCKENNEY BUTTON FASTENING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

BUTTON ATTACHING O'R DETACHING IMPLEMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 594,806, dated November 30, 1897.

Application filed July 1, 1896. Serial No. 597,695. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN S. MCKEN- NEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, county of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Button Attaching or Detaching Implements; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification.

. My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in a button attaching and detaching implement of superior construction and utility, the same being. especially adapted for use in applying buttons to shoes and for removing the buttons therefrom, although I do not limit myself solely thereto.

One aim of my invention is to combine in a single implement simple and efficient means for attaching the buttons to the shoes or other articles by means of a metallic fastening and also to provide said implement with simple and easily-operated means for cutting the fastening to release the button when desired, as when it is required to change the location of a button, without damaging the article.

My invention consists of the construction, combination, and arrangement hereinafter described'and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a view in side elevation, showing the implement in inoperative position, the cutters or knives being covered. Fig. 2 is a front view of the same. Fig. 3 is a partial inverted plan View of the lower arm A, with its attachments. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing a part of the implement in operative position, the cutters or knives being uncovered ready for use. Fig. 5 is a front view of the implement, showing the partsin operative position. Fig. 6 is a detail View of the spring to automatically lift the diespindle. Fig. 7 is a view in cross-section on the line 7 7, Fig. 4. Fig. 8 is a detail view, in vertical section, of the button-holding device. Fig. 9 is a vertical section through the die,

showinga portion of the die-spindle and button-holding device.

I carry out my invention as follows:

A and B represent two jaws, each provided with operating-handles and having a jointed connection the one with the other, as indicated at b. The jaw A is formed with two arms A and A the two'arms being essentially G-shaped. The jaw Bis bifurcated toward its forward end to embrace the arm A The arm A is provided with a die-spindle 0, having a reciprocatory engagement therewithin, the forward extremity of said arm' being constructed. with an orifice to receive said spindle. A yoke O connects the upper end of the spindle with the outer extremity of the two forks of the jaw 13, and whereby the movement of said jaw will actuate said spindle in a well-known manner.

D is a retracting-spring to retract the diespindle, which may be arranged in any suitable manner.

O is a die preferably having a detachable engagement with the die-spindle. The arm A is formed with a seat, as at a, to receive the head of a pronged fastening, (indicated at a, Fig.2.) Said arm is also provided with clamping spring-arms A and A to engage over the head of the fastening to hold the fastening upon its seat. The arm A is also provided with fastener spring guard-arms a a These guard-arms and clamping-arms are engaged at their rear ends to the arm A, as indicated ata byscrews or analogous devices. These guard-arms a a project upward, as indicated, to protect the points of the prongs of the fastening and prevent their catching, as indicated in Fig. 2.

E denotes a button-holding device which is made attachable to the die-spindle and removable therefrom, the same being preferably constructed of sheet metal bent at its upper endinto tubular form and sleeved upon the lower end of the die-spindle, the tubular portion of the button-holder being open at one side, as at e, to give to the device a springtension upon the die-spindle. Below the tubular portion of the holder the device is cut away to form two spring-arms E. E, having their lower extremities turned inward to the blades to the jaws.

form supporting-flanges for the eye 8' of a button E the arms E E clamping the eye of the button and holding it firmly in place. A portion of the lower edges of the arms E E is turned up to form a stop 6 to limit the insertion of the eye of the buttonin the holder. The lower ends of said arms E E' are formed with upwardly-extended wings a to form a bearing for the button-head. Said arms are also constructed with rearwardly-extended wings c to provide a firm bearing for the button-holder upon the fastener-guard and fastener-holding arms and the head of the fastener when the die is actuated to set the fastener. WVhen the die is forced downward through the arm A the button-holding device E first strikes the guard-arms a a and forces them downward toward the head of the fastening and then laterally apart entirely out of the way of the prongs of the fastener, the button-holder and die being forced between the upper extremities of said guardarms. In this operation the die engages the points of the fastener to set them, the holderarms A A being also spread apart adjacent to the seat of the fastening and out of the way of the button-holder and the die. The fastener guards a a have an oscillatory movement about the fastening-screws at a, as well as a laterally-yielding movement at their forward ends.

A spring F is provided to retract the guardarms a a when the die-spindle has been retracted. I prefer that the die should be formed with an orifice (indicated at c, Fig. 9) and that the button-holding device he formed with indentations to project into the extremities of said orifice to assist in holding the button-holding device in place.

To detach a button, I provide the jaws A B with cutter-blades G G, which may be secured to said jaws, respectively, in any suitable manner, as by means of a screw g. The blades G G are each constructed with a spur at g, bearing against the under edge of the ad j acentjaws to communicate the strain upon H denotes a shield for said cutter-blades, having an oscillatory engagement with one of the screws 9 and made to reciprocate over the opposite cutt er-' blade. hen it is desired to use the cutters, the shield is simply swung back out of place,

and when the cutters are not to be used it may be moved back over the cutters. The implement is thus one of great simplicity, as well as of great economy and usefulness.

What I claim as my invention is 1. The pivotally-connected jaws for setting a button-fastening, said jaws provided with cutters for detaching a button, said cutters having in combination therewith a shield, substantially as set forth.

2. The pivotally-connected jaws, having in combination therewith a die-spindle reciprocatory through one of said jaws, and a removable and interchangeable button-holding device sleeved upon said die-spindle, substantially as set forth.

3. The pivotallyconnected jaws, having in combination therewith a die-spindle reciprocatory through one of said jaws, and a button-holding device sleeved upon said cliespindle, said device made tubular at its upper end and having a spring-tension upon the lower end of the die-spindle, the lower extremity of the device formed with spring arms to clamp the eye of a button, substantially as set forth.

4. The pivotally-connected jaws, one of which is provided with a seat for a pronged fastening, having in combination therewith clamping-arms to engage a fastening upon the seat, and additional guards to shield the prongs of the fastening, said guards having a Vertically and laterally movable engagement with one of said jaws, substantially as set forth.

5. The pivotally-connected jaws, having in combination therewith a die-spindle reciprocatory through one of said jaws, and a button-holding device constructed with a tubular portion at its upper end, sleeved upon the die-spindle and with depending spring-arms to support and clamp the shank of a button, said arms provided with a stop to center the end of the shank of the button under the center of the die, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANKLIN S. MOKENNEY.

Witnesses:

N. S. WRIGHT, J OHN F. MILLER. 

